Klarman Hall is the first building constructed for the humanities on central campus after the Goldwin Smith Hall opened in 1905.
The building is constructed in order to provide ample space for the humanities department of the college of Arts and Sciences. The supporters of the project Seth 79’ and Beth Klarman also stand by the project and were present in the groundbreaking ceremony taken forward by President David Skorton and Peter Lepagethe College’s Harold Tanner Dean.
Seth Klarman in his speech repeated the famous quotes said by famous personalities like Ezra Cornell and Apple founder Steve Jobs. He said Cornell is “a place of education and experience, challenge and personal growth, friendships and collaborations. … I’m grateful to have this opportunity to give back.”
Klarman said that he believed in the all-round liberal arts education, and he also believes that when there are many talented people coming together and are able to absorb new ideas then there can be some unexpected good results.
Cost & Funding of Klarman Hall
The building project for which the total budget is around $61 million is funded through charity in full. The major donors were The Klarman Family Foundation along with the Groos family (in honour of Richard Groos ’52, B.M.E. ’53). The official name of the establishment will be Seth ’79 and Beth Klarman Humanities Building.
Details of the building
Klarman Hall is located between the Goldwin Smith Hall and East Avenue, which will be the main entrance of the Arts Quad after being completed in 2015. The central hall of the building will be used as the crossroad by the students and faculty in the entire campus. Koetter, Kim and Associates, the Boston Architecture firm has designed the building. The physical Sciences Building has also been designed by the same architecture firm. The firm’s principals are Alfred Koetter, M.Arch. ’75, and Susie Kim ’71, B.Arch. ’72.
The new building constructed will be linked to Goldwin Smith and will offer 33,250 square feet of space, which can be used for offices, work spaces and classrooms for the college of Arts and Sciences. There are more than 200 humanities faculty in the college. The building has some other facilities like 350-seat auditorium, a large café and some space where students can gather informally.
The hall will be covered with the glass roof and an environmental sunshade which will provide the needed daylight and also the energy performance. The building will most probably receive a LEED Platinum rating
